大乘義章 7.40

7.40

次明受報時節久近。五逆之罪若有作者，阿鼻獄中一劫壽報。問曰：有人具造五逆，是人為當一劫之中具受五報？為當前後？如《阿含》中，同在一劫，火有厚薄。涅槃亦然。若依《毘曇》，具五逆者，五劫受報，不在一時。《成實》亦然，故彼論言「是罪重故，久受重苦。於是中死，還是中生。若此劫盡，生於他方阿鼻獄中。」問曰：五逆是生報業，次身受者可是生業，後餘劫中所受之者便是後業，云何名為生報業乎？釋言：重罪報分相排，所以無過。若無初逆，不至後劫，是故猶名生報業矣（此六門竟）。

Next is clarifying the duration of the retribution experienced. If anyone commits the five deadly sins, their retribution is a lifespan of one kalpa in the Avīci hell. Question: If someone commits all five deadly sins, does that person experience all five retributions within a single kalpa, or consecutively? As in the *Āgamas*, within the same kalpa, the fire varies in intensity; the *Nirvāṇa Sūtra* says likewise. If according to the Abhidharma, one who commits all five deadly sins experiences the retribution for five kalpas, not at one time. The *Tattvasiddhi* is also like this; hence that treatise says: "Because these sins are heavy, one experiences severe suffering for a long time. Dying there, one is reborn there again. If this kalpa comes to an end, one is born in the Avīci hell of another direction." Question: The five deadly sins are karma to be experienced in the next life; that which is experienced in the immediate next life may well be next-life karma, but that which is experienced in subsequent kalpas would be subsequent karma; how can it be called karma to be experienced in the next life? Explanation: Because the retributions of heavy sins displace one another, there is no contradiction. Were it not for the initial deadly sin, one would not reach the subsequent kalpas; therefore it is still called karma to be experienced in the next life. (This concludes the sixth section.)